Real-Time Rideshare

Real-Time Ridesharing makes carpooling flexible and affordable and uses stops along driver’s route to work or school to pick up on-the-fly commuters who want to share the ride.

Drivers use a third-party mobile app (free to download or join) and their own vehicles to share trips with other riders going their way. Riders purchase ride credits and drivers are reimbursed for trips they offered and rides taken through the mobile app.

How it works

Currently, King County is partnering with Smart Rideshare to promote and pilot real-time rideshare using their third-party tool iCarpool.com.

But first, we need to recruit a large number of drivers to sign up for the iCarpool app and then offer-up trips to potential riders—we need this critical mass to make the pilot work. If you are a rider and have downloaded the app but haven't found a ride yet, please check back again as we are in driver-recruitment mode—OR, better yet, sign up to be a driver and help us pilot this concept! We need to amass several dozen drivers willing to provide shared trips through the app.

Accessible commuter vans are available to groups upon request; WA Relay users, please dial 711 to get in touch with rideshare staff (available 8 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday); RideshareOnline.com translation service available to ESL customers via a conference by calling 206-625-4500 (available 8 AM to 5 AM, Monday through Friday).

Rideshare contact list

Quick links

Customer support

We appreciate your participation in our commuter van program! Please call us if you need assistance—our phones are staffed Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm. For emergencies after hours, weekends or holidays, your call will be patched into our answering service.

Commuter Van Orientation

New drivers and bookkeepers in the King County Commuter Van Program are required to take online training and receive a completion letter to become approved drivers or bookkeepers in our program. To take this orientation, you must be authorized and have been contacted by a Rideshare Operations representative.

Are you authorized and ready to complete your commuter van orientation?

Call King County Metro Transit at 206-625-4500 and report the accident immediately.

Exchange information with the other driver(s):

Complete the back section of the Vanpool Accident packet envelope

Obtain names, addresses and phone numbers

Driver license numbers

Vehicle license numbers

Insurance information—You are insured through the King County Metro Transit Division (206-625-4500)

If police are on the scene, obtain officer's name, badge number and jurisdiction.

Ask all witnesses to complete the "Witness Courtesy Cards" in the accident packet and put them in the mail.

Complete a Traffic Collision Report (inside accident packet) in the glove compartment for all accidents. Within 48 hours,email the report, fax to 206-684-2166 or send by regular mail using the postage paid envelope provided in the packet.

If you have a breakdown:

This information is for King County Metro VanPool drivers and their use.

Protect the scene where your van is disabled and call a Vanpool Service Representative; during regular business hours (8:00am-5:00pm), after hours call 206-625-4500 or 1-800-427-8249; the on-call staff member will be paged. You may call collect, but you must identify yourself as a vanpool driver for the call to be accepted. If you are calling from a telephone that does not accept return calls, please ask the answering service to patch you through to the on-call staff member. Be sure to have the following:

If your van requires towing

Leave the van in a secured area, lock it, tell Metro and the towing company where you will leave the keys. Do not take the keys with you. Metro will have the van towed to the nearest dealership, assigned garage or Metro facility.